SYLHET — Hasan Ahmad took oath as chairman of Jakiganj Union Parishad in Sylhet’s Jakiganj upazila on Aug. 3 after a three-and-a-half-year court battle, officials said.
The swearing-in took place at 4 p.m. in the Sylhet deputy commissioner’s conference room following a court ruling that declared him the elected winner. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad administered the oath.
Those present included Ashiq Uddin Chowdhury, former chairman of Kanaighat upazila and adviser to the district BNP; Iqbal Ahmad, former chairman of Jakiganj upazila and joint vice president of the district BNP; V.P. Mahbubul Haque Chowdhury, joint secretary of Sylhet city BNP and convener of the city Swechchhasebak Dal; Ismail Hossain Selim, general secretary of Jakiganj upazila BNP; Rahmat Ali Helali, joint vice president of Jakiganj Press Club; and other BNP leaders and residents of Jakiganj union.
Voting for Jakiganj Union Parishad was held on Jan. 5, 2022. The returning officer declared Awami League candidate Aftab Ahmad the winner with 3,137 votes. BNP-backed independent candidate Hasan Ahmad, who received 2,978 votes on the eyeglasses symbol, lost by 159 votes.
Hasan filed a vote-rigging complaint with the Sylhet election tribunal seeking a recount. After three-and-a-half years, the senior assistant judge ruled in his favor after a recount showed he had 78 more votes than his opponent.
Following the court ruling, the Bangladesh Election Commission on July 13 published a correction in an extraordinary Bangladesh Gazette. Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad then administered the oath to Hasan as chairman.
“I am very happy to be sworn in after winning through the court ruling,” Hasan said. “I am grateful to the people of Jakiganj union. They elected me through their direct votes, but the election commission, loyal to the former Awami League government, declared the boat-symbol candidate the chairman. After I filed a case with the election tribunal, I was sworn in today after three years and eight months. I seek the full cooperation of my beloved union residents in the journey ahead.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report